Senior Seasons Unveiled

Senior Seasons is the name of our new ministry for senior adults. Carolyn Byrd, director of senior adult ministry, unveiled the name, logo and upcoming plans to about 50 members on April 21.

The session was a follow-up meeting from the Adult Summit held Feb. 4.

“The name and logo are vibrant,” Carolyn explains. “I wanted something vibrant.”

The word “seasons” came to Carolyn early on in the creative process, she says. “I know God placed it there, and it did not go away.”

Carolyn continues, “As a senior, you are experiencing different seasons in your life. You may be looking at retirement, or you may already be retired. This is the time to do things you never had the chance to do. Your status may change as a grandparent, great-grandparent or caregiver. All that resonated with me.”

From the brainstorming sessions at the summit in February, Carolyn and her senior adult team identified five areas of interest for our seniors: service, fellowship, health, travel and education. On April 21, Carolyn unveiled plans in these five areas.

Service

• Seniors will have the opportunity to sign up to visit homebound members. Pastor David Nelson will offer training to help folks be comfortable with these visits.
• Lunch and Learn sessions will feature local agencies who need volunteers.

Fellowship

• Senior Seasons will host a bi-annual fellowship gathering. The first is set for Dec. 1.
• GO Club will continue to meet on the second Thursday of the month (during months in which there is no travel), for fellowship, a covered-dish meal and a program.

Health

• The Walking With Mission Partners exercise program concluded in April.
• A health fair is set for 9 am-noon on Sept. 26, and will feature many screenings.
• A yoga class is in the works.

Travel

• A Lutheran Heritage Tour to Virginia and Pennsylvania takes place May 4-8. You can read about the adventure on the St. John’s blog and in the June/July Eagle’s View.
• A trolley tour of the Salisbury Sculpture Show is set for 10 am May 12. Cost is $10. Please sign up with Carolyn as soon as possible.
• A floating raft trip down the French Broad River will take place this summer. Watch the bulletins and upcoming newsletters for details.
• A trip to Isle of Palms is set for Sept. 27-30. Cost is $235 per person, double occupancy, and includes all meals and transportation.
• A safari to the home of Tom Smith will also take place in September. Watch the bulletins and upcoming newsletters for details.

Kick-off event features Ralph Ketner

The Senior Seasons kick-off event is set for 10 am Tuesday, Sept. 22 in the worship space of our new building. Ralph  Ketner, a Food Lion founder, will speak. The Catawba Singers, who sang at the meeting in April, will again perform.

St. John’s seniors say they’re eager for the programs to begin.

“I’m happy to see this focus for our seniors,” says Pastor David Nelson, who serves as pastor for care and homebound ministry. “This ministry is offering a lot of positive things that can be done.”

Carl and Mary Ida Yost say they’re most interested in the Senior Academy, and plan to sign up for courses this spring.  “There have been a variety of suggestions for courses,” Carl says. “I think people can find something they want to be involved in.”

“It all sounds so exciting,” Mary Ida says. “It makes me look forward to being here.”

Meetta Lampert says all areas of focus sound interesting, although she especially likes the categories of service and education. “This ministry team is focused on giving seniors an opportunity to grow, and do something useful for other folks,” she says. “This is laying a foundation for us to reach out into the community, and where we’re located, that’s mighty important. It’s gonna be fun. Any time you can combine all the other stuff with fun, it’s good.”

Senior Academy, and plan to sign up for courses this spring.

“There have been a variety of suggestions for courses,” Carl

says. “I think people can find something they want to be involved in.”

“It all sounds so exciting,” Mary Ida says. “It makes me look forward to being here.”

Meetta Lampert says all areas of focus sound interesting, although she especially likes the categories of service and education. “This ministry team is focused on giving seniors an opportunity to grow, and do something useful for other folks,” she says. “This is laying a foundation for us to reach out into the community, and where we’re located, that’s mighty important. It’s gonna be fun. Any time